Pleasure coasting-course



(No"M o del.) 2 Sheets-Sheet; 1. J. A. GRIFFITHS. PLEASURE GOASTINGCOURSE- No. 549,635. Patented Nov. 12, 1895'.

- end to end of the structure in a substantially UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

JAMES A. GRIFFITHS, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO ABRAHAM A.LANDIS, OF COLLEGEVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

PLEASU RE coAs'rlNe-cou RS E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 549,635, dated November12, 1895.

Application filed August 14, 1895.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES A. GRIFFITHS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Meriden, in the county of New Haven and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPleasure Coasting-Courses, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to pleasure courses for summer and otherresorts for cars or similar appliances, adapted to travel on wheels overthe same to convey persons from a starting-point again to the same pointwithout change of cars, and my invention relates in such connection tomeans for permitting of the shifting of the car at the end of each of aseries of parallel undulating outgoing courses to a series of undulatingincoming courses to complete by gravity a round-trip and withoutpassengers having to alight from the cars, so that time and expense aresaved, and the avoidance of accident thereby in handling passengersparticipating in the eX- hilarating sport or amusement is insured.

The principal object of my invention is to provide in a coastingstructure a car-shifting appliance for readily and quickly transferringa loaded car or other passenger-conveyer from an incoming course to anoutgoing course of the structure without passengers having to alightfrom a car in the making of a round-trip.

My invention consists of a pleasure coastingcourse, consisting of twosubstantially parallel undulating tracks terminating at one end of thestructure in a horizontal plane lower than the horizontal plane on whichsaid tracks terminate at the opposite end of the structure and providedwith means at each end for shifting a car from one track to the other,so that the same may travel continuously from elliptical course, and myinvention further consists of the improvements in pleasure coastingstructures,hereinafter described and claimed.

The nature and scope of my invention will be more fully understood fromthe following .trip or trips.

Serial No. 559,247. (No model.)

description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, formingpart hereof, in which- Figure 1 is a top or plan view of a structurecomprising a series of straight parallel incoming and outgoingundulating courses of different altitudes at the respective ends thereof, and provided with car-shifting means l0- cated at said ends fortransferring readily and quickly a loaded car or other conveyance fromone course to the other to complete a Fig. 2 is a side elevational viewof the structure with the end of a lower altitude at the right-hand endthan at the lefthand end thereof. Fig. 3 is a top or plan View,enlarged, of the car-shifting means which is located at the horizontalplane at each end of the structure; and Fig. 4 is a vertical cen tralsection through said car-shifting means, showing the detailedconstruction and arrangement thereof and in elevation the end pivotalconnection of said means with the structure.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the stilted structure,consisting of a series of straight parallel undulating courses providedwith tracks a and a, and guards a and a located adjacent thereto forsafety in the rapid travel of the cars of the respective courses of thestructure by gravity over the said tracks.

The horizontal plane or end A at the right of the structure is lower bya foot, more or less, than the horizontal plane or end A at theleft-hand end of the structure, as illus trated in the drawings. By suchprovision the cars on an outgoing course from the starting-point A willtravel by gravity to the end A of thatcourse and thereat the passengerswithout alighting from the car can be readily transferred, by means tobe hereinafter fully explained, onto the return course to travel bygravity to the starting-point A again for another trip. By giving eachcar an energetic push, as practice has demonstrated, from the startingand return points at the respective ends it will accumulate in itstravel by.

gravity over the straight parallel undulating course sufficient momentumto reach and climb the last inclination of the structure and pass ontothe car-shifting device 0 at that end to permit of its transfer tocomplete a trip, Without occasion for the occupants of the car to alighttherefrom at either end, should they desire to take other trips.

At both ends of the structure are provided entrances b and exits b forpassengers.

The car-shifting device 0 is set into an opening 0, formed at each endof the platform of the structure, and this device consists of a platform0, provided with rails 0 This platform is supported by an end-recessedpivot 0 set into theistructure A. This platform 0 is also provided withfront and back traveler-rolls d and d, engaging rails d and (l in theopening 0. There is also provided an operating-lever C, connected withthe platform 0 of the device for shifting the same, so that a car by themomentum acquired in its travel by gravity is caused to pass onto thesaid device G and by means of the said lever G is readily shifted whileloaded with passengers onto the return tracks to complete the excursionor trip afforded passengers by the particular arrangement of thestructure, as hereinafter fully described.

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention, What Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A pleasure coasting course, consisting of two substantially parallelundulating track courses, the respective ends of which are formed intohorizontal planes of different altitudes, and onto each of which a caris run by gravity and propulsive force applied at the opposite end ofthe course for shifting the same so as to permit of its return to theopposite horizontal plane of the structure and so on continuously backand forth, and a shifting device provided on each of said horizontalplanes for shifting the car from the tracks of one course to those ofanother, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my signature in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

JAMES A. GRIFFI'IIIS.

\Vitnesses:

J. WA TER DOUGLASS, THOMAS M. SMITH.

